Veritas
by aslycsi1315
Summary: After Booth finds out that a bombing at the FBI Hoover Building was orchestrated by someone at the FBI, Booth has to find a way to prove the traitor is responsible for the bombing. In the meanwhile, Booth and Brennan hide their new relationship.
1. Chapter 1

Dr. Temperance Brennan bent over a set of bones. She examined the tibia and searched for any unusual marks that she may had missed before. This set of bones was 199 years old and had been found during the War of 1812. When Brennan was not solving crimes with boyfriend and partner Special Agent Seeley Booth, she tried to identify unidentified bones that were kept in the room known as limbo.

Brennan set down the tibia and stretched her arms. She had been in the limbo room for hours without taking any breaks. She yawned and checked her watch. It was almost 7pm which meant she had been at work for almost 12 hours. She decided to call it for the day and head home to see Booth. They were planning to celebrate their six month anniversary that night by watching a few movies and eating dinner at home. They could have gone out to celebrate, but due to the FBI's "no dating in the workplace" policy Booth and Brennan had begun their relationship in secret.

Brennan put the bones into a clear plastic container. She walked down a long aisle to the section where unidentified bones from the 19th century were kept. She inserted the case into a cabinet and turned towards the exit. Brennan walked to the end of the aisle, but stopped when she saw Angela sprinting across the room towards her. She grabbed Brennan's arm and pulled her towards the exit. Brennan called out Angela's name to get her attention, but Angela ignored her. Brennan stopped and yanked Angela towards her.

"Ange, what's going on?" Brennan demanded. She could tell by Angela's expression that it was serious. Angela wiped her face and said, "It's really bad, sweetie. About an hour ago, a bomb went off at the FBI building. A group of men walked in and detonated bombs on each of the floors. It destroyed the building. Jared Booth said that there has to be over a hundred casualties."

"Seeley?" Brennan choked out.

"We don't know, sweetie," Angela whispered. Brennan stared at her for a moment in complete silence. After a minute, Brennan slowly nodded her head and said, "Should we go to the hospital?"

"Yeah, Hodgins and Cam are waiting for us in the car."

Special Agent Seeley Booth blinked twice as he slowly regained consciousness. He blinked again to see the ceiling light swinging above his head. He then realized that he was lying on his back outside of his office. He tried to sit up, but the pain was too immense. Booth could see blood seeping through the bottom of his white shirt. He turned his head and saw agents lying dead all over the floor. The area had been transformed into piles of rubble. Desks became piles of wood, pipes were dangling from the walls, and glass was scattered everywhere. The lights flickered on and off every few minutes.

Booth coughed for a moment then heard footsteps. FBI Director Hacker appeared over him with a calm look on his face. It bothered Booth that the man had such a calm expression in a terrible time.

"Hacker….help," croaked Booth. He reached his hand up to Hacker expecting him to help him up. Instead, Hacker just stood over Booth with his expression slowly turning into a smug look. He kneeled down next to Booth and pulled out a handgun. He admired the gun while Booth said, "What are you doing? There might be more bombers in the building. They could kill us."

"They won't unless they are told to, "Hacker said as he turned his attention to Booth.

"Why? What do you mean? Do you know who orchestrated this?

"Yes. I did."


	2. Chapter 2

"What?" Booth explained. He felt his body go numb as his mind began to race. The man he had admired for years had just killed many innocent people.

Hacker laughed at Booth's shocked expression and responded, "Yep, I ran the whole show. I'm not going to bore you with the details, but yep the bombers are all with me."

"What about those who died? Did you think about that?"

"Yep, but it's for the greater good."

"You have killed dozens of people and you feel good about it?"

"Kind of. Anyway Agent Booth here is the thing; I like you so I'm not going to kill you. I am warning you though; you tell anyone about this conversation I will make your life a living hell. You know make sure you make ever see your son again, make sure you can never have a job ever again after I fire you: you know that kind of stuff. I also know about your relationship with Dr Brennan- As long as you play your part and keep quiet, you two can still be partners and date. You make one mistake or piss me off once, you are done and I will destroy you. Capiche?"

Booth spat, "Yes, Director."Hacker stepped over Booth who was beginning to lose consciousness. Booth could see him step over dead agents with no expression of remorse on his face. Through the corner of his eye, Booth could hear firefighters approaching. For a moment, he hoped that this was all a dream and that he would wake up. He would still be in his office waiting for 7 to come so he could go home to his girlfriend. The last thing Booth saw before he saw was a bright light shinning from above him.

A few hours later, Booth woke with a start. He blinked as he looked around the room. Brennan was sitting in a chair next to him smiling.

"What happened?"Booth muttered.

"There was a bombing at the FBI building. 103 people were killed. Sweets is alive and is doing well - he's very strong. Don't tell him I said that,"Brennan stated. Booth chucked, but was met with pain from his stomach.

"Parker was here earlier, but he got very tired waiting for his father and fell asleep. Your brother took him home. Angela and Hodgins went to go get coffee and should be back soon."

"Hacker..."Booth spoke. His mind began to fill with the conversation that he had with Hacker. Booth knew he couldn't just ignore it, but worried about Hacker's threat. He gasped and said, "Did Hacker come by?"

"Hacker, um yes. He came by about an hour after you were admitted. It was so nice that he saved you."

Booth's eyes widened. Booth wanted to immediately correct Brennan, but before he could a knock came from the door. Hacker entered and approached Booth's bed. Brennan smiled at Hacker, oblivious to Booth's cold hard stare into Hacker.

"I just wanted to make sure that Seeley is ok. He was the only survivor on that floor."

"Thank god, you were there," Brennan replied.

"Thank you, I must be going. The police need to get my statement. Agent Booth, the police will up to get your statement about what happened in about an hour. Sound good? "Hacker asked. He gave Booth a threatening look. Booth swallowed and nodded. If Booth didn't give a statement very similar to Hacker's, he would be screwed.

Hacker nodded to Brennan and swiftly left the room. Brennan kissed Booth on the forehead and held his hand. Booth stared towards the door feeling very lost and confused. He had become Hacker's pet- if he didn't do what Hacker said, he would lose everything.


	3. Chapter 3

A few days after the bombing, the White House held a memorial for those who had died from Hoover building bombings. The survivors were invited to speak on the incident and of the co workers that had been killed. Booth had wanted to skip the event, but feared what Hacker would do to him if he did. Over the past few days, most of his injuries had healed except for a sprained wrist and sore ribs.

Because Brennan had to work, Booth attended the event alone. Every time someone came up to him and spoke about the incident, Booth felt his body go numb. There had been no suspects arrested, but it was suspected that an anti-government group was behind the bombing

During the ceremony, Booth watched Hacker address his audience playing the role of a grieving boss erasing any suspicions of him being involved in the bombing. All of the guests of the party watched him in awe as he recounted what he endured during the bombing including "rescuing" Booth.

By the end of the ceremony, Booth had stepped away and was sitting on a bench nearby the White House. He scratched his head and closed his eyes. He was alone in this and he needed to fight his way out... 

"Agent booth?"  
>Booth looked up to see FBI psychologist Lance Sweets staring down at him. Sweets, who had also been in the building during the bombings, wore a bandage over a large cut on his forehead. He seemed tired and quieter than usual. Booth paused for a moment and waited for Sweets to begin analyzing him. When Sweets said nothing, Booth glanced to the passing cars and stated, "I need you to be my friend right now, not my therapist. Ok?"<br>Sweets sat down next to Booth, put his hands in his coat pockets and said, "Ok. As a friend, I'm worried about you. You have been incredibly quiet these last few days. What's going on?" 

"Don't criticize me for saying this. No psychoanalysis or psychology mumbo jumbo on this, ok?" 

"Ok. What's up?" 

" Hacker is the one behind the bombing at the Hoover building."  
>Sweets gave Booth a blank stare causing Booth to exclaim, "Forget that I ever said it. Never mind-" <p>

"I believe you", Sweets said. Booth raised an eyebrow in shock as Sweets continued," Hacker told everyone that firefighters had made it to the floor I was on before he could. Before I got rescued, I saw him- he was talking to two guys in black uniforms a few feet away from me. Hacker was completely fine- there was not even a scratch on him. Thank God they didn't notice me."

"I spoke to Hacker before I passed out. He threatened to destroy me if I told anyone that I knew he did it. Have you told anyone?" asked Booth.

"No, I didn't know who to tell."

"That's ok- this is good. This means I'm not alone in this. We have to take Hacker down. We need to find evidence and eye witnesses that he hasn't gotten to. Once we get enough evidence, we can take it to a higher ranking official and take him down."

"Ok- I feel like James Bond."  
>"Yeah, uhm… Is there any information that you can get on Hacker? Like if he met with any unusual people or traveled somewhere unusual? He will notice if I start looking into his personal file."<br>"While breaking a million federal laws, I might be able to dig up a few things like his psychological assessment that I give to every agent. I will look today and let you know if I find anything. " 

Booth nodded and turned around to see Brennan's co worker Jack Hodgins standing behind them with a smile on his face. He exclaimed, "I'm glad that you and Sweets are ok, Booth, but I smell a government conspiracy. Out of all the places to be bombed in Washington D.C, they choose the FBI building? I also don't buy that Hacker walked out smelling like roses."

Sweets and Booth looked at each other trying to decide whether to let Hodgins in on their plan. After a few moments, the three men huddled together and discussed the plan.

That evening, Booth climbed into bed with Brennan at her apartment. She seemed concerned and cautious while around Booth. He sat up in bed and turned to her.

"I need to tell you something," he said.

"Ok, Seeley. What's wrong?" Brennan asked.

"Hacker orchestrated the FBI bombings."  
>Brennan lifted her head up and exclaimed, "What?" <p>

"He is the one behind it. Before firefighters rescued me, he flat out told me. He also threatened to destroy my life including breaking us up as partners."  
>"Booth, are you sure? You had lost a lot of blood when they found you. And you also received a concussion- maybe we should take you go back to the hospital. We can just make sure everything is ok." <p>

"I'm not hallucinating again," Booth muttered referring to the effects of the brain tumor he had two years prior.  
>"Trust me on this one, Bones. Please," Booth pleaded. He needed to her to back him up; not just because they were partners, but because they were dating.<br>"Um ok. I trust you. How do you intend to prove Hacker did it?"  
>" I already have a plan with Hodgins and Sweets. I'll tell you in the morning," Booth stated. He felt Brennan lay her head on his chest. Within a few minutes, both were asleep. <p>


	4. Chapter 4

Hacker walked over to a stairway and overlooked the large room in front of him. Since the Hoover building bombings, the surviving members of the FBI were moved to share a building with the CIA in Langley, VA. It wasn't ideal, but it sufficed until a new FBI building was built. Below Hacker, 87 FBI agents sat at desks looking through paperwork rescued from the Hoover building. Hacker knew that it would occupy most of his agents only leaving a trusted few to "investigate" the Hoover building bombings. He smiled in delight at the power he felt over his agents especially one agent in particular….

Booth was sitting below him sharing a table with a younger FBI agent. He had his feet on the table while flipping through copies of an old homicide case. He seemed so relax that it bothered Hacker. He needed Booth to fear him to stop Booth from ever accusing him of any involvement in the bombings.

Besides the fact that a few of his favorite knick nacks had been destroyed, the bombings had gone according to plan.

Feeling in a good mood, Hacker decided to mess with Booth. He walked down the stairway while watching Booth. Booth was smiling and chatting with the other agent at the table. He wasn't squirmy like he had been before. It was time to strike some fear in the agent.

"Agent Booth," Hacker stated as he approached the table. Booth leaned back in his chair and said, "Morning, Hacker."

_Let the games begin_, thought Hacker.

"Agent Smith, would you give us a moment?" Hacker asked. As the younger agent bolted, Hacker leaned on the table ready to challenge Booth. There was a spark in Booth's eyes ready to take the challenge.

"As you know, the Jeffersonian will be identifying bodies that weren't recognizable from the bombings. I believe Dr. Brennan will be involved in the investigation along with her team," stated Hacker. Booth's relaxed expression was beginning to irritate him.

"Yes, sir. I was planning on heading over there in about 20 minutes."

"No, you won't. Until the investigation into the bombings is complete, you will be working on cold cases. I believe that it would be best the best thing for you, right now." Booth sat up and stared directly into Hacker's eyes.

"I understand, sir," he answered. Hacker hesitated before getting up and leaving. He had challenged Booth and lost. Trying to control Booth would be much harder than he thought.

About an hour later, Booth, Hodgins, and Sweets were in the Ancient Ruins wing of the Jeffersonian. Booth glanced up at a brightly colored sarcophagus in admiration. Sweets was sitting next to a glass display organizing sheets of paper in a file. Hodgins walked to the doorway of the wing then closed the door. He approached Sweets with a paranoid expression on his face.

"He broke off your partnership with Dr. B?" he exclaimed. Booth shifted his position and stated, "According to him, it is until the investigation into the bombings is complete. Since he is running the investigation and is the mastermind behind it, it could be months or even years before I could work with you guys again. "

Sweets replied, "He's suspicious of you, Agent Booth. It's the only reason why he would sever the partnership. He basically just cut you off from the evidence in the case. How many agents are doing the investigation?"

"6. Everyone else is either on medical leave or trying to organize and salvage any papers that weren't burned to ashes."

"There you go. Those 6 agents might even be involved in the bombings as well. He picked only 6- he probably picked agents that he could manipulate or force into helping him. "

"Ok. Did you get any evidence back from the building, Hodgins?" asked Booth.

"No, as soon as we are finished here, I have to head over the scene and meet Brennan, Angela, and one of the interns there. But I was talking with a few friends I have over at the FBI-"

"You have friends at the FBI?"

"Hey, I may be a conspiracy nut, but I am allowed to have friends at the FBI. Anyway, they said that Hacker had convienently went to his car to go "look for his wallet" right before the bombs went off. That contradicts what he told the media about him being in the building at the time."

Suddenly, Booth's phone rang. He checked it and saw that Brennan was calling him. He waved Hodgins and Sweets away and answered the phone. Both men left allowing Booth privacy in the wing.

"Hello?" Booth asked.

"Hey, you." It was Brennan. She sounded sad which concerned Booth.

"Baby, are you ok?"

"Yes and no. I'm at the Hoover building and there is barely anything left. I could not imagine what it must have been like. "

"You shouldn't. I'm alright, Bren."

"I known, but….."

"What?"

"I understand that you believe Hacker is behind the bombings, but Booth, I just don't see it. He said that he was in the building and I trust him. Booth, you know me, I need evidence. I-"

"You don't believe me?"

"I-I need evidence, Booth."

"Bren, just tell me. Do you believe me when I say that Hacker was behind the bombings?"

Brennan hesitated and bit her lip. She could feel the tension between the two of them. Booth muttered, "Ok," then hung up. Brennan put her phone in her bag and turned around to see Angela staring at her, worried.

She asked, "Is everything ok between you and Booth?"

Brennan mustered up a smile and stated, "Everything is fine, Ange. Let's get to work."


	5. Chapter 5

The next morning, Hacker entered the lab at the Jeffersonian and exclaimed, "Hello, Dr. Brennan." He could see Brennan and her intern Wendell perched over a skeleton that had been found in the Hoover building. As he approached Brennan, he examined the bones on the table. Most people felt disgust or sadness at the sight of at flesh and bones that had a few days ago been a person. Hacker felt nothing- no empathy or sadness as he stared at the victim that died because of his doing.

"Hello, Hacker," Brennan answered without taking her eyes off the remains. Hacker narrowed his eyes in annoyance. Brennan's antisocial nature usually didn't offend him, but with the investigation into th bombings and dealing with Booth, it irritated him greatly.

"Dr. Brennan, I would like to have a word with you regarding your partnership with Agent Booth." Hacker's statement finally caught Brennan's attention. She glanced over to Wendell, who began processing the bones. Brennan took off her gloves, walked down the platform, and approached Hacker. He smiled and stated, "May we talk outside? "

"Of course." Brennan slipped off her lab coat and hung it on the railing of the platform. She walked towards the entrance of the lab with Hacker behind her. As they walked, Hacker felt concerned looks follow him. He knew that they were interested in knowing the status of the partnership between Booth and Brennan. One glare that caught Hacker's interest was one from Hodgins, who was on his way out the door as well. He glared Hacker right in the eye as they passed him.

_Just another paranoid squint_, he thought to himself as they left.

Once outside the building, Brennan spoke, "I'm concerned about Booth. He seems on edge ever since the bombings. Regarding our partnership, I do not understand why we need to discuss it." Hacker watched her as she spoke, noting the worry on Brennan's face. Suddenly, an idea sparked in Hacker's mind.

"Yeah, that's the main reason why I'm here," he replied. He quickly thought of a lie and said, "Booth has me quite worried as well. He's become very antisocial, irritable, and looks like he hasn't slept in since the bombings. There has been talk around the office about whether Booth should talk to someone. Those factors had led me to the conclusion that I need to temporarily cut the partnership between the two of you. It would keep him out of the field and would give him time to recuperate. It would only be for a few months."

"I do not believe that is necessary. I have not noticed any of those characteristics in Booth as of late," Brennan answered. _Something is not right_, she thought, _I would have noticed if my boyfriend was depressed_.

Meanwhile, Hodgins entered the remains of the Hoover building. The left side of the building had been reduced to a giant pile of rubble. Hodgins walked to the right side of the building which had sustained a small amount of damage. A feet away from him stood Hack'ers old office. Parts of the office had been destroyed by the fire, but most still stood intact.

Hodgins approached the office and glanced inside. The only thing in the office was a small bookshelf and a desk which were still in good condition _The bookshelf and desk looks too good to have just survived a fire_, Hodgins thoguht. He examined the desk and concluded that it had recently purchased.

While trying to figure why Hacker had a brand new desk in the office, a small light caught Hodgin's attention. It had reflected from under the desk. Hodgins bent down and found a small firebox . Before opening the box, Hodgins glanced over the desk looking to see if anyone saw him. The three FBI agents who were conducting the investigation stood at the other end of the floor, distracted. He then opened the firebox and found a stack of papers. As he glanced over the papers, his eyes widened in shock of what was on the papers. After he finished reading, he stuffed the papers in the bag and stood up. He began to speed walk towards the exit. The three agents did not even notice Hodgins leave the building.

An hour later, Hodgins, Sweets, and Booth all stood in the Ancient Ruins wing. Booth watched hodgins pace back and forth, once again in one of his paranoia moods. Sweets asked, "Dude, what did you find?"

"This is big. This is so big. This is Kennedy assassination big," Hodgins muttered. He stopped and turned to Booth and Hodgins.

"I found blueprints," he stated, "of the Hoover building. He had marked X's over where each of the bombs went off on each floor. There was also a list of everyone who was working that day at the time of the bombing. Why would he have blueprints of where the bombings occurred after the act in the remains of the Hoover building? This is..proof that Hacker was behind this. Dude, we need to go to someone high up, like the Joint Chiefs of Staff or the President!"

Booth answered, "First, that was an illegal search and seizure. Regardless, it is still a government building. If we turn this in, we will probably go to jail. Second, why would he leave something that big of evidence in the building?"

"Well, while I was there, there were three FBI agents that watched me like a hawk when I first got there. Luckily, they were distracted by something which gave me enough time to grab the papers."

"Those three agents are the only ones allowed to investigate the bombings. Those three are Hacker's favorites. "

"Well, we can use that as well. I really don't care about going to jail if it gives me the chance to make Hacker pay for what he did!"

"I do. I have a son and so do you, Hodgins. I don't want my son, Parker, to see his father go to jail."

"Well, think of it like this. Parker's father spent a year or two in jail after taking down a man that killed 103 innocent people. I think he would be pretty proud of you."

Sweets nodded and exclaimed, "Hey, I have nothing to loose so I'm in."

Booth hesitated and said, "Ok. Let's do it."

Back at the CIA building, Hacker watched his three agents enter his new office. Hacker tapped his pen on the desk and stated, "Is everything going to plan?"

The youngest of the three agents stammered, "Actually, no. Um, I'm sorry sir, but the papers in the firebox are missing."

Hacker's blood began to boil." What do you mean they are missing?"

"There is nothing in the box, sir."

"Ok, you three were at the building all day today. Did anyone else come by?"

"A few D.C cops, but we kept them away from your old office. There was also some scientist from the Jeffersonian who came in. He was there for only 20 minutes before he left with…..out…any one of us noticing…I'm so sorry, sir."

"Shut up! Describe the scientist."

"Male, brown and curly hair, about my height, sir."

"Jack Hodgins," Hacker muttered. A sly smile spread across his face. He scanned the three agents before demanding, "Arrest him."

Back at the Jeffersonian, Hodgins, Angela, and Brennan stood on the platform in the lab. Angela and Hodgins were discussing their son while Brennan was reading over notes. All were oblivious to the three FBI agents approaching until they set off the platform alarm. Brennan and Angela watched in horror as one of the agents arrested Hodgins while reading his Miranda rights. Angela followed them as they took Hodgins away while exclaiming, "What did he do?"

She stopped at the entrance of the lab and turned to Brennan with tears in her eyes. Brennan quickly whipped her phone out and dialed Booth's number.

"Booth." He answered.

"Hey, it's me. Three FBI agents arrested Hodgins!"

"Ok, I need you and Angela to meet Sweets and I at the place where we went for our 1 month anniversary in 1 hour. Do you remember where that is? I'll explain everything when we meet up."

"Yes, I do. I will see you there."


	6. Chapter 6

Alexandria, Virginia

Brennan pulled the Prius to a complete stop in front of a lodge in Alexandria. Angela sat next to her in the passenger seat, quiet as a mouse. She had not said a word since Brennan and Angela had left Washington D.C. Brennan glanced over to her best friend and said, "Ange, we are here."

"Huh? Oh sorry. I was just- my head was in the clouds," Angela muttered as she undid her seatbelt. Brennan felt that she should have corrected Angela on that statement, but understood that it was not the right time. She was getting better at recognizing social cues and courtesy every day.

Brennan stepped out of the car just as Booth's SUV pulled up next to her. He jumped out and slowly walked to her with a smile on his face. Brennan smiled back at him, understanding the pain that Angela was going through. If she had lost Booth, it would destroy her.

"Hey, Bones. Hey, Angela, I'm so sorry about Hodgins. I'll explain-"

"Is this a bed and breakfast?" Angela cut him off. She took note of the cabins, the beautiful park and forest that was behind the lodge.

"Um, yeah. "

"I see. Do you and Brennan have any more romantic secret spots that I should know about?"

"No, Angela. We just needed to meet in a place outside of the city and this place turned up," Booth lied. Angela raised an eyebrow and muttered, "I see. We can worry about that later. What's being going on? Why is Jack in jail?"

"Ok, it's about the Hoover bombing."

"What about them?"

"Hacker is the one that coordinated them. He's responsible for the whole thing."

"What? Based on what?"

"He told me. "

"He told you? What….wait, ok. He just straight up and told you that he killed one hundred and three innocent people?"

"Yes. After the bomb went off on my floor, I blacked out for a little while. When I woke up, I could barely move. Hacker was just randomly walking around there with a gun when he saw me. He didn't tell me why he did it, but threatened to destroy my life if I told anyone. "Booth watched Angela, who was staring at him with her mouth gapping open. She sat down on the hood of the Prius and closed her eyes. She whispered, "How is Jack involved in this?"

"I thought I was alone in this, but at the remembrance dinner that the White House threw, Sweets told me that he saw Hacker as well. It contradicts what he told the media about him not being in the building at all. Hodgins, being the conspiracy nut that he is, spoke to us about his suspicions about the bombings. We then decided to tell him about our plan to take Hacker down and he wanted in."

"What's' the plan?" Angela asked. Brennan sat down next to her and wrapped her arm around Angela.

"Well, besides Sweets and I being witnesses, Hodgins found blueprints in the remains of Hacker's old office. It had markings of where each of the bombs went off and where the most casualties would be. It was in a fireproof box under his desk. The really incriminating part is that on the way here, I talked to a buddy of mine in D.C Metro police and he said with the two serial killers that haven't been caught in Colorado and Illinois and the two wars that the U.S is in, the government and the FBI aren't in good favors with the American public." 

"So you think he did this to divert attention away from that? You know, blame someone else for the problems?"

"Yes, that's exactly what I was thinking. I also got an idea of the suspects and found that Hacker plans on blaming the Freedom Fighters. They are an antigovernment group from North Dakota. They aren't violent, but have done a lot of hate speeches and rallies within the past month. It also turns out those two serial killers were associated with this group at one point in their lives. The Illinois serial killer was a member 1987-1992 and the Colorado serial killer was a member from 2003 until last year. I think that Hacker is going to take the serial killers and the Freedom Fighters down for all three crimes. I think Hacker figured out that Hodgins had gotten the blueprints, which is why he had him arrested."

"Ok, where are they?"

"Sweets has them. I don't think Hacker even knows that Sweets saw him. Hodgins handed them to Sweets just before they entered the lab. We have to find some way to get this out before Hacker has Sweets and I arrested. Right now, I'm supposed to be talking to a family about a case from 1956. "

"Oh my God. This is big. This is Hacker; he always seemed like such a nice guy. He broke up your partnership because of this, right?"

"Yes. Who are we going to give these to?"

"The CIA?"

"No, we are sharing the building with them. That would be suicidal. We need to go to someone who isn't going to quickly ally with him and take us down. We need someone that is unbiased."

"Ok; let's head back to D.C and I'll think of someone. He might be watching you, Booth, and if he is, it may look like Brennan and I know something. He'll arrest all of us in a heartbeat." Booth nodded while Angela walked to the passenger door.

"Ange, I'll be there in a second. I need to speak to Booth about something," Angela stared at Brennan in suspicion before nodding and getting in the car. Brennan turned toward Booth and walked to the side of the lodge with him, out of view from Angela. He pulled her into a kiss while Brennan wrapped her arms around him. They passionately kissed for a minute before Brennan pulled back and said, "I'm so sorry-"

"I know. You have to learn to trust me sometimes. I know I have to do the same with you," Booth whispered in her ear. He kissed her forehead while she said, "Please be careful. Angela is so hurt and I can't- I couldn't imagine what it would be like if I were in her position."

"Don't worry, Temperance. I'm not going anywhere."

"I love you." Booth stared at her in surprise. "Really?"

"Seeley, I love you. I need you to be careful. I already lost the ability to work with you. I don't want to lose you from my personal life as well," Brennan whispered back. A tear fell down her cheek. Booth wiped it away and stared into her eyes.

"I'm not going anywhere. I promise. And I love you too," Booth said. He kissed her one last time then turned and walked to his SUV. Brennan watched him wave good bye to Angela before getting into his SUV and leaving. She took a minute to compose herself before walking back to her car. She opened the door and got in the car. Before Brennan could blink, Angela stated, "You're sleeping with him, aren't you?"

Brennan nodded and said, "We have been dating for 6 months. I'm in love with him, Ange."

"Ok," Angela said as she sat up in her seat, "Let's go rescue my man so you can go be with yours."


	7. Chapter 7

Langley, Virginia

"Do you realize the amount of trouble that you are in, Dr. Hodgins?" Hacker asked while pacing in front of him. They were in an interrogation room in the CIA building; a few hours after Hodgins had been arrested. Hodgins sat quietly at the table located in the middle of the room with a cocky expression on his face. It was beginning to make Hacker's blood boil once again.

"Dr. Hodgins? I know you can hear me, so understand this. If you ever want to see Ms. Montenegro or your son ever again, you will tell me what you took from my office, where it is, and why you did it." By asking those questions, he hoped the man would accidently incriminate Booth in the process. It would allow him to get rid of the only two people who knew the truth behind the bombings.

Hodgins let out a laugh and crossed his arms. Hacker glared at him before deciding to pull out the big guns. "I will be trying you for treason and obstructing of a federal investigation. This means you will spend the rest of your life in a small jail cell with no visitors. Do you understand this?"

Hodgins nodded with his cocky smile, which caused Hacker to slam his hand onto the table in anger. Hacker glared into Hodgins' eyes. There was no fear or nervousness in the man's eyes; only confidence. Hacker growled and marched out of the room. He turned down a hall and passed by his three "special "agents without saying a word to them. The youngest of the three ran up to Hacker and said, "Were you able to get anything from him, sir?"

"No," Hacker growled. He continued down the hall while trying to think of a plan. There was no way that he would allow Booth to outdo him; he couldn't, since his livelihood depended on it. Suddenly, an idea hit him. He stopped in his tracks right in front of Sweets' new temporary office. Blinded by his anger, Hacker did not notice that Sweets' door had been left slightly ajar.

"I want you to arrest Special Agent Seeley Booth," Hacker said, "I have reasons to believe that he may have aided Dr. Hodgins with his little escapade. Arrest him immediately." The three agents nodded and continued to follow Hacker down the hallway. When it was clear, Sweets stuck his head out the door with an alarming look on his face. He pulled out his phone and quickly dialed Booth.

Fifteen minutes from Washington D.C, Booth had just finished talking with Sweets when he dialed Brennan. Brennan and Angela were driving in the Prius a half a mile behind him.

"Hey, Booth. Is something wrong?"Angela asked after answering Brennan's phone.

"I need you guys to get off the freeway and take the local roads."

"Why?"

"Sweets just called. Somehow in Hacker's head, he connected Hodgins to me and now there is a warrant out for my arrest. So they don't connect me to you two, we need to be as far apart as possible. Why don't you guys head to the lab for a little while?"

"Ok," Angela answered. She turned to Brennan and stated, "Take the exit here and head to the lab. Hacker has connected the dots back to Booth and now he has sent agents after him."

Angela turned her attention back to Booth, who was still on the phone. "What about the evidence?"

"Sweets is going to meet you guys at the lab. If anyone asks, Sweets is going to say that he is there to consol you through the rough time of having Hodgins in jail. If needed, you can lie and say that Tempe is with you as support."

"Awww, so are you guys on a first name basis now? Oh, congrats on six months, by the way."

"She told you?"

"No, I kind of had it figured out for awhile. All I needed was confirmation. So regarding the plan, we will drop the evidence off to D.C Metro Police or the media. After, we will both try and get out of town for a few weeks to get off of Hacker's radar."

"Ok, I doubt Parker's mother would agree to this, but see if Parker can go with you guys. I don't want him here when this all hits the fan. "

"Ok, please take care of yourself. I have heard so many things, mainly from Hodgins, about what they do to you if you are in a federal prison after angering the government. Plus, I plan having you, Brennan, and my husband at my son's 2nd birthday party in a few months," Angela whimpered. She glanced over to Brennan, who was crying.

"I promise. We will be ok," Booth promised. He felt his heart drop to the ground. There was a nagging feeling that he would not be able to see his girlfriend or his son for a long time.

"Bye, Seeley."

"Bye." Booth hung up the phone and dropped it on to the passenger seat. He steadied himself as a blur of red and blue lights filled his rear view window. Booth pulled over on to the side of the road and pulled off his gun holster and FBI badge. After rolling down his window, he dropped his gun and badge on the pavement and put his hands out the window. He was once again alone. It would only be a matter of time before Hacker would make do on his threat and completely destroy him.

Behind him, Brennan took the exit off the freeway and pulled over as soon as she could. Angela and Brennan both sat in the car in silence for ten minutes while trying to wrap their minds around the situation. In the past few days, Sweets and Booth had almost been killed, one hundred and three people had died, Hodgins was arrested, and now Booth was about to be arrested as well. It left them in shock at how one man's destructive decision not only took away over one hundred innocent lives, but also destroyed their lives in the process.


	8. Chapter 8

Brennan briskly walked into the lab with Angela tailing her. Besides the security guard monitoring the main entrance, no one else seemed to be in the building. She was worried that Sweets had been arrested as well, but was relieved when she heard noise coming from Angela's office.

"Who' s in…." she started to say as she entered the room, but stopped when she saw Cam and Sweets standing in front of a television, watching a news report. Cam had been staring at the screen with her mouth gapping open while Sweets had a dumbfounded expression on his face. Brennan entered unnoticed while Angela stood by the door. Her hip hit a small coffee table, which alerted Sweets and Cam of her presence.

"Dr. Brennan, I'm so sorry about what happened to Agent Booth," he stated. She gave him a weak smile and replied, " It is not your fault. I am just glad that you are ok."

Cam raised her hand and asked, "Can someone tell me why Booth and Hodgins got arrested? I have been kept out of the loop."

Brennan held out her hand to Sweets and asked, " Do you have the evidence?" While he dug the papers out his briefcase, Brennan explained to Cam, " Hacker is behind the bombings. We have evidence to prove this, but he arrested Hodgins and Booth before they could release it. "

Sweets handed her the blueprints and asked, "Where are you going to take them?"

"We have to get it to someone who isn't an ally to Hacker. An ally could turn us in to Hacker and then he could put us in jail along with Jack and Booth," Angela stated.

Cam suggested, "How about the FBI director? He is Hacker's superior."

"Hacker and the director are close friends. They go golfing every Sunday. He would probably not believe us and turn us in," Sweets added.

"How about D.C Metro Police?"

"With all the conspiracy nuts running around the Capital? They definitely believe us."

Suddenly, a smile appeared on Angela's face. "How about the CIA director?"

Brennan raised her eyebrows in confusion. "Since the FBI and CIA share the building, that would be suicidal. Hacker would see us for sure!"

"Well, Hacker probably thinks that we know something about this so he might start looking for us. He'll be bound to check the capital, but I doubt he is going to look in Langley for us if we stay low. Also, the CIA director is a big fan of Brennan's books and anthropological work. Brenn, I'm sure if you call and set up a meeting with him, he'll meet with us for lunch or something tomorrow. The best part is that I heard that the CIA director is one of the few people in government that Hacker is not friends with."

Sweets agreed. "That's true. I have done psych exams on Hacker. He is a great FBI agent, but not too clever. I know he was clever enough to pull this off, but in other aspects he's not too smart. He's going to look in places that you are most likely to be, Dr. Brennan. Hacker isn't the type to look on his front doorstep for you and Angela."

"…..Ok," Brennan responded. She looked over to the young psychologist."What about you Sweets? What if Hacker comes after you?"

Sweets smiled and answered, " I'll be ok, Dr. Brennan. Don't worry about me."

"I have no choice. Both Seeley and I consider you to be a close friend of ours."

"Thank you, Dr. Brennan. It's starting to get late so I think we should go our separate ways. Dr. Brennan and Angela should leave at night where they are least likely to be noticed." Brennan and Angela nodded in agreement and walked towards the stairs. As she followed Angela, Brennan glanced backed to Cam and Sweets, who were sadly waving good bye.

_I hope this works,_ she thought before leaving the Jeffersonian with Angela.

**Langley, Virginia**

"Agent Booth, how nice of you to join me," Hacker said to Booth. Both men were in one of the interrogation rooms at the CIA building. An hour had passed since Booth was arrested by D.C Metro police. Both of the arresting officers seemed uneasy about arresting him as they drove him to Langley with nervous looks on their faces. During the twenty minute car ride, Booth prayed for guidance and protection for Brennan and Angela. He was not scared of Hacker, only afraid of what he could do to him now that Booth was in custody. He now sat in the small, damp room in front of Hacker, while still in handcuffs.

"Nice to see you too, Hacker," Booth retorted. He planned on using a relaxed stance against Hacker; it would make his opponent angrier and less rational.

" I know you stole an item from my office. Dr. Hodgins ratted you out."

Booth chuckled. " Do you really think I'm stupid enough to fall for one of the most basic interrogation methods? Come on! You can do better than that!" His remark earned him a punch in the face from Hacker.

Booth spit out blood and quipped, " So I'm going to add police brutality along with committing a terrorist attack on U.S soil on the list of illegal acts you have committed, huh?"

Hacker snarled and growled in Booth's ear, " Where are the damn blueprints?"

"Way to admit your guilt, Andrew. You do remember that all interrogations are recorded, right?"

Hacker growled and slammed Booth's head into the table. He stomped over to the door and pointed a finger at Booth. " None of this has been recorded. I charmed up to the FBI director so well that when I asked for no one to come into this room, he agreed. So, Special Agent Booth, you are going to sit here until you tell me where those blueprints are. No food, No water, not even sunlight. In the meantime, I will find a way to make sure that you will spend the rest of your life in a small cell next to Dr. Hodgins in a federal prison for the rest of your life!"

Booth watched him slam the door as he left. _I have to do this. I cannot let him win, _Booth thought, _I have to do this for Temperance and Parker. I will not give in!_


	9. Chapter 9

Langley, Virginia

Hacker walked into the CIA building with a smile on his face. Unfortunately, neither Booth nor Hodgins gave him the location of the blue prints within the last two days. On the bright side, Hacker had found a way to legally send Booth and Hodgins to prison without drawing attention. Hacker was almost positive that he would be in the clear within a few weeks.

As he entered the building, a shocked hush fell around the main desk. The security guard checked Hacker's badge and smiled at him nervously. Hacker walked through the metal detector and noticed that two agents that had been walking in his direction, immediately turned around as soon as they saw him. Confused, he continued down the hallway towards the interrogation rooms while trying to ignore the multitudes of eyes that followed him.

Hacker opened the door to the first interrogation room and saw Booth and one of his special agents. Booth appeared to be hungry and physically and mentally exhausted. Both of his hands were still handcuffed to the table in front of him.

_Excellent, He should crack any moment_, Hacker thought while closing the door behind him. Hacker's agent, who had been talking to Booth, looked to Hacker as soon as he closed the door behind him. Her eyes widened as she said, "Andrew, you can't be-"

Hacker put a hand in front of her face to silence her. He strutted over to Booth and grabbed his collar.

"Seeley, how have you been?" Hacker spat. Booth glanced between Hacker's cocky smile and the nervous agent next to him.

"Have you read the news, Andrew?" Booth mumbled.

"Sir, he's right. You really need to-"

"What? Do you have some magic backup plan to save the day, Booth? I got you and the little squint for messing with my investigation. Plus, you haven't left this spot in two days! How would you know what has been going on in the news?"

Suddenly, the door opened revealing the director of the CIA and two CIA agents. The CIA director nodded to the FBI agent who then walked over and took off Booth's handcuffs. She helped him get to his feet while Hacker exclaimed, "What are you doing?"

"Someone had brought me some very interesting information last night. Unfortunately, the news bloodhounds got to it first," growled the CIA director. He motioned to the CIA agents, who walked towards Hacker. The CIA agents arrested him while the CIA director declared, "Andrew Hacker, you are under arrest for committing a terrorist attack on U.S soil, which caused the deaths of one hundred and three people. You are also being charged with falsifying information for a federal investigation and false imprisonment of a federal agent and a civilian. You have the right to remain silent….."

As the CIA director read Hacker his Miranda rights, Hacker's agent was then handcuffed as well. Booth watched both Hacker and the FBI agent squirm as the reality of being caught dawned on them. Booth dropped his shoulders and head. He was so tired, hungry, and lightheaded that he felt as if he was going to pass out. Besides being chained to the interrogation with no food or water for three days, Booth had no human interaction and even no sunlight. It was frightening for him to sit alone in the room with his thoughts. The only thought that crossed his mind was worry for Brennan and Angela.

"Who did it? Who turned me in?" Hacker spat in the CIA director's face. The older gentleman kept his professional, calm composure as he answered, "Two anonymous sources came to me with blueprints and testimonies regarding your involvement in the bombings. They also told me that they feared for their life and had come to Langley for protection."

Hacker turned to Booth and exclaimed, "I knew you had it. Who did you give it to? Who?"

While staggering towards the door, Booth responded, "Three people that I trust very much."

"It's Dr. Brennan isn't it? I should have thought of that! It's probably one of the little squints at the Jeffersonian right? I should have arrested all of you-"

"Why did you do it?" Booth suddenly asked, cutting off Hacker. Everyone else in the room turned to Hacker, expecting an immediate answer.

"Why did you kill those people? What happened to you, Andrew?" Booth repeated. Hacker sighed and said, "I think you figured it out already, Booth."

"No, Andrew. I haven't. All I know is that you were going to place the blame on the Freedom Fighters. I don't know why you chose to kill dozens of innocent people. We were friends; Andrew- I don't know what would posses you to do such a thing."

Hacker gave Booth a mischievous smile. "You are right about the blaming thing, but in regards to why I blew up the Hoover building, that, my old friend is for you to figure out on your own." He started to laugh as the CIA agents led him out the room leaving the CIA director and Booth in the room, both completely confused.

Booth turned to the CIA director, who held out his hand towards Booth to shake. Booth shook his hand while the FBI director said, "I apologize for that Agent Booth. You did a brave thing by standing up to Hacker; it does the victims of the bombing a greater honor."

"Thank you, sir," Booth replied. _It's over, _he thought, _we won._

**Six Weeks later- Washington D.C**

"Cheers!" Booth, Brennan, Angela, Sweets, Hodgins, and Cam exclaimed as they clinked glasses together. They stood in the entrance of the Jeffersonian lab, a few moments away from spending a night out on the town. The group had just toasted in honor of the victims of the bombings.

"Did they ever find out why Hacker blew up the Hoover buildings or if he had any accomplices, Booth?" Cam asked as soon as she finished her sip.

"No, it's been over a month now. He hasn't said a word to anyone. Unless we find more evidence, we may never know why he did it." He smiled at Brennan who had her arm wrapped around his waist.

"Well, at least we got him," Sweets stated, "Thanks to Dr. Brennan and Angela."

"We couldn't have done this without you, Sweets. You held onto those documents and even stayed in D.C after we left. That was very brave of you and I admire that."

Sweets blushed as Hodgins exclaimed, "What about me? I found the blueprints and even spent two days in solitary confinement!" Angela kissed him on the check. "That was very valiant of you, babe."

"I would like to make another toast," Brennan said as she lifted her glass, "To us and to a bright and hopefully safer future." Everyone exclaimed, "Cheers!" before taking a sip of their wine. Angela giggled and linked her arm with Hodgins. The couple led the way out of the lab with Booth and Brennan following them. Sweets looked to Cam and said, "Will you be my date for tonight?"

She laughed and placed her hand in his. "Of course." They followed their friends out to a night of dancing, laughing, and happiness.

The End


End file.
